Historically, there is a concept that pervades every spiritual / metaphysical teaching. That is: the enemy within, the devil in Tarot; in traditional astrology, it is house 12, the house of self-inflicted harm, or self-undoing.
I find the term “self-undoing” particularly accurate; it synthesizes its essence so well: “what our normal, sane essential nature does, house 12 undoes”. When house 12 is active it is like driving with the hand brakes on — we move along but something feels stuck and not quite right. It is the “splinter in the mind” that Morpheus in the movie The Matrix alludes to.
The forms of manifestation that this “undoing” process takes are numerous. However, they are, like everything else, based on seven building blocks or energies. Yet, what makes these energies “undo” the best we have is one particular psychic phenomenon, that is: fear.
There are seven types of basic fears around which all distorted traits of personality revolve. Each of us, with rare exceptions, has one main fear that we learned to repeat since childhood and thus have formed a network of psycho-physical habits that brings us an endless stream of unnecessary suffering.
House 12 correlates with the concept of Chief Feature in the Michael Teachings.
Find below examples of how house 12 manifests in people’s lives according to my observation of the seven basic patterns of psychological self-undoing and according to how it is outlined in the Michael Teachings. This knowledge in the hands of a sincere observer and active and properly developed Lord of the Geniture provides the tools needed for the expansion of consciousness of psychological phenomena and the neutralization of such fears. That is: spiritual/energetic work to clear the psyche of corrupted energies.
By its nature, house 12, is a manifestation of a debilitated planetary energy so, correspond with essential debility, conceptually speaking. However, if L12 is dignified it does not matter, it is in the essence of house 12 to be detrimental to our well-being. The main energy stream in the personality that can turn “base metal into gold”, that is: release consciousness from the base emotions of house 12, is the Lord of the Geniture.
The list below is a direct correlation between the concept of Chief Feature and astrological symbology. I made it based on my observations and it has proven useful in dealing with friends and clients who are going through a rough patch of time in life. It serves as knowledge to help the Lord of the Geniture to do its work.
NOTE: the astrological correspondence is merely conceptual and based on the essence of each planet. It IS NOT meant to determine a person’s chief feature based on the native’s L12 or L12 in horary. So, for example, if your natal L12 is the Moon IT DOES NOT necessarily mean that you have a chief feature of Stubbornness, although you may.
The Seven Psychological Chief Features and their Core Fears
GREED
Sun – abundance
Active house 12: Fears the lack of abundance. Feels empty. Pursues and accumulates objects and/or experiences aiming at feeling fulfilled. The heart longs for fulfillment.
An effective Lord of the Geniture addresses issues pertaining to abundance.
SELF-DESTRUCTION
Saturn – control
Active house 12: Fears lack of control. Feels helpless. Engages in dangerous, extreme or excessive activities to elicit “control” from oneself. Pushes to limits. The heart longs for peace and tranquility.
An effective Lord of the Geniture addresses issues pertaining to control.
ARROGANCE
Jupiter – compassion
Active house 12: Judges harshly and fears harsh judgement. Feels righteous or “better than others” as a defense mechanism against actual or potential dislike from others. Denigrates others to feel “better”. The heart longs for compassion.
An effective Lord of the Geniture addresses issues pertaining to compassion to self and others.
SELF-DEPRECATION
Venus – kindness
Active house 12: Fears inadequacy. Feels inadequate and undeserving. Low, or lack of, self-esteem. Tries to please people at all costs, often at one’s own expense.
An effective Lord of the Geniture addresses issues pertaining to kindness and self-valuation.
IMPATIENCE
Mars – action
Active house 12: Fears missing out. Fears the lack of time. Crams as much activity as possible within any available time. Gets stressed out by a never-ending lack of time. Hurry.
An effective Lord of the Geniture addresses issues pertaining to time and relaxation.
MARTYRDOM
Mercury – engagement
Active house 12: Feels victimized. Avoids engagement with life and when it engages sets oneself up for failure. Feels abused by people and circumstances. Blames others and the world for one’s suffering.
An effective Lord of the Geniture addresses issues pertaining to engagement and compromise.
STUBBORNNESS
Moon – change
Active house 12: Resistance to change. We feel powerful when we say “no”. We find reasons not do do things. Resistance against external pressure from people or events. Inability to change one’s mind or opinions.
An effective Lord of the Geniture addresses issues pertaining to change and flexibility.
Notice that chief features occur in pairs with one being single. People with one of the chief features will often slide to the opposite feature when the chief feature is challenged. For example: the arrogant feels ashamed of worthless when disliked by people, that is, slides into self-deprecation. The impatient feels like a victim when there is not enough time to do all the things he/she wants to do. That is, slides into martyrdom. Etc. Stubborness can slide into any feature and vice-versa.
Also, we have a chief or main feature and usually have a secondary strong feature too. For example: one may have a chief feature of arrogance and a secondary feature of greed. Any combination is possible.
The astrologer or Tarot reader can use this list to guide the querent or native towards psychological work on those features and promote balance in their mental, emotional and physical functions.
